Some 4 million people are studying Japanese around the world. Whether you’re an anime and manga fan who wants to get closer to the real thing, a lover of arts, crafts, and other traditional culture, or a person who wants to live in Japan or work at a Japanese company, there are many reasons to learn. In this series we present diverse approaches to the language and stories from those who have tackled it successfully.

A well-cleaned floor shines pika pika, while a light, fluffy futon is fuwa fuwa. Japanese onomatopoeia is one of the language’s most intriguing features, with many linguistic discoveries to be made.(More)